Incarnate
by Blarggy
Summary: Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and Nell— Sealed memories or Reincarnations of the friends they once were?
1. Chapter 1

Incarnate

A Bleach Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, it's characters, or anything belonging to Tite Kubo.

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"Oi, Rukia!"

"Ichigo!" the diminutive raven haired girl moved over to the taller teen and fell into step with him.

His hand moved out from his side, and she grasped it, their fingers intertwined.

"Hey Rukia, Ichigo." the even taller redhead(or more accurately, crimson head) came into view, along with a rather busty green haired girl.

The short girl appeared to be the only normal one, in terms of hair color. The boy she was currently walking hand in hand with had bright orange hair. The other teen had bright crimson hair tied in a high ponytail behind him, and the girl following close behind had longer green hair that flowed freely down her shoulders.

"Hey Nell, Renji." Rukia greeted politely, while Ichigo merely grunted. She quickly stomped on his foot.

"Ow! Okay, okay. Hi Renji, Nell. What's up?" as he spoke, he tugged at the side of his shirt, which was orange-red, with a black artistic skull on it. He was wearing slightly faded jeans and fingerless gloves, as well. It was a warm day, so they weren't wearing jackets, even though it was Autumn.

Rukia was wearing a cowl neck sweater and a pair of rather tight dark jeans, along with a pair of flip-flops. Renji was wearing khaki cargo pants, with a black muscle shirt. Nell was wearing a simple one piece sundress, colored light green, which was evidently her favorite color. Many speculated that she dyed her hair because she loved green so much, and that she wore color contacts to have the most perfect green eyes.

Her friends knew better, that she was born as she was. They knew it was odd, but then again, they had Ichigo and Renji.

The four had naturally gravitated toward each other as soon as middle school started. Rukia and Renji grew up together in another city, while Ichigo and Nell met unexpectedly when he 'saved' her from a bunch of thugs. All he really did was take down the leader of the group, and the rest ran off.

Nell had always been very feminine, her figure and ample 'assets' led to nothing but bad things, generally. But Ichigo and Nell developed a Sister-brother relationship, and so he took responsibility for her.

The two of them had lost one of their parents at a young age. Ichigo's mother passed away when he was 8, and Nell's father died in a car accident when she was 6. Their parents met not soon after and decided they were going to team up to raise the two. If you could call annoying the hell out of them teaming up.

Ichigo, like Nell, had no last name. It seemed odd, but their parents never had them take their last name for some reason. So it was Ichigo and Neliel Tu, or Nell.

Rukia and Renji had both been orphans, and, as a result, named themselves. Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai. They both insisted that they didn't know where the names came from. That they just sounded appropriate. Needless to say, Ichigo and Nell were a teensy bit jealous that they didn't actually have last names. His father, whom Ichigo loved, was not his biological father. The same held for Nell's mother. They had both been adopted, which could be a reason as to why the two were driven to meet.

When Rukia met Ichigo, she somehow felt safe. Something she'd been missing all her life. And likewise, when he met her, he felt like he was whole again. Even when they were still just acquaintances, he became very protective of her. Push came to shove, and eventually they began dating.

Renji, as it were, had a thing for Nell, though he'd probably never admit it. And she openly admitted to Ichigo that she wished Renji could be more than friends. So Rukia and Ichigo had been trying to get the two together for the last year.

Speaking of which, today was the first day of their Senior year in High School. They were all eighteen, and looking forward to finally getting out of the hellhole known as school.

Ichigo and Renji stepped ahead, moving toward the schoolyard. They heard the girls lagging behind and chatting about whatever girls chat about.

"So, when are ya gonna ask?" Renji said, slightly too loud. Ichigo whacked him on the head.

"Heyheyheyyyy. Shutup, idiot."

"Hey, I'm just curious is all." Renji pulled his backpack up higher, which was slung over one shoulder. He was the only one with a bag. Ichigo had no books, while Rukia and Nell were carrying their books.

"Look, I ain't gonna ask her until after this year, got it?" Ichigo whispered.

"Fine, but don't blame me if you get separated by college. You may not go to the same one."

Ichigo knew about this already. He knew he was taking a chance by waiting, but he also knew he couldn't ask yet. They were only seniors after all.

Ichigo drifted back and slung his arm around Rukia's shoulders. She smiled up at him as Nell bounced(literally) ahead back to talk with Renji.

"So have you thought about where you want to go to College?" Rukia asked, peering at him.

"Eh, not really. I don't even know what I want to do for a liv-" His last words were cut off by what sounded like an explosion. Everything shook, and a house half a block down was ripped apart, slinging dust everywhere.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo ran towards the house along with Renji.

"Was there anyone there?" Renji asked as they neared their target. But as they did, they heard a wicked sound. A middle-pitched incredibly loud roar like nothing they'd ever heard. From the dust came a monster that could only be described as everyone's nightmare. It was massive, dark brown colored, with six legs and two large knife-like arms. Where it's head should have been there was a huge white mask.

Ichigo stared at the Preying Mantis-like beast, or rather, he was staring through it. There was a huge hole in the abdomen leading straight through to the wreckage behind it.

"What the hell is that thing?" Renji took a step back.

Said thing spoke. It's voice was deep and gravelly. "I smell...TASTY SOULS." It screamed the last words rushing forward and raising one massive blade.

It's arm fell to the ground and it let out an earsplitting scream. Ichigo was frozen, staring at the cause of the monster's pain.

It was a man wearing a full black outfit. A katana rested on the white obi belt. He was wearing hakama pants and a matching gi. He shrugged off his outer white haori, which had the number six in kanji on the back. He had long black hair with some weird white clips holding it in place.

"Shinigami! You will pay!" The monster lunged forward at the man, but before Ichigo could say anything, the mysterious man had disappeared. The monster seemed to gasp, but before it could do anything, it's mask was ripping in half and it was dissipating. The man was behind the monster, staring at the wreckage. There was a body of a woman, but beside the body there was a standing version of the same woman. A ghost?

"What the hell is going on?" Ichigo finally found his voice as Rukia and Nell caught up with them. Said 'Shinigami' didn't acknowledge any of the kids behind him until Renji called to him.

"Hey, you! How'd you kill that monster?" The voice registered something in the man's mind. His scarf pitched in the light wind and floated upward.

_No...he's been gone for almost 19 years..._

He spun around, cold gray eyes registering shock, bulging ever so slightly. "...Renji..." his voice carried in the dim silence in the aftermath.

"How do you know my name?" the red-head crossed his arms over his chest.

_Gone for so long, and now here he is, asking me who I am...and...oh my lord._

"R...Rukia..." he stammered. Byakuya Kuchiki never stammered.

Rukia had grabbed Ichigo's hand as they stared at the man with the sword. Byakuya's eyes widened at that.

"Kurosaki, if you don't drop my sister's hand I will take your hand away."

The boy who had grown up with no last name did not respond. Neither did the girl who never had a brother. They all stared blankly.

"Who a_re _you?" Ichigo spoke. The voice was exactly the same. All of their voices were. So were the attitudes, but yet they did not remember him.

"Captain Byakuya Kuchiki." he spoke calmly, betraying his inner emotions.

Rukia gasped lightly. "Kuchiki...I named myself that when Renji and I were young." Everyone seemed surprised as she whispered to Ichigo, but her voice carried to Byakuya and he had an idea.

"You gave yourself the surname Kuchiki? There is a simple reason why you did that. You are my sister." a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He was sure none of them had their memories of him, but seeing his former Vice-Captain and his sister still meant something to him.

Ichigo stepped in front of Rukia, between Byakuya and her. "Sister, huh? You had a sister and you left her on her own to fend for herself? Renji is a better brother than you'll ever be."

"Silence, Kurosaki, you do not understand the implications."

"Who the hell is Kurosaki?" Ichigo's voice raised somewhat.

"You are, brat." Against his better judgment, he had answered brashly. "It is your surname."

"I don't have a goddamn last name. My name's Ichigo. Not Ichigo Kurosak...i..." as he stated the last part, his voice died out. Something about that name sounded...normal. It sounded correct.

Renji tugged on Ichigo, "C'mon, let's get to class before we're late." He moved ahead, guiding Nell back toward the school. Ichigo gripped Rukia's hand harder, who was staring at Byakuya as she was pulled away.

They got into the school and walked into their new senior classroom. Ah, it felt good to be king. Almost everyone seemed to back away from the four, mainly because Ichigo and Renji were both big guys with fighting reputations pinned on them. Secretly, they did not love to fight, but it had perks. Like parting the red sea.

"Let's just ignore that crazy from earlier, eh?" Renji added as they moved to sit in the back of the room. Ichigo and Rukia in the last two desks, side by side, and Renji and Nell just in front.

"Yeah. He probably set up that whole deal. Even figured out Rukia's last name by talking to the school or something." Ichigo responded, kicking his feet onto the metal bookrack beneath Renji's seat.

However, even as he said that he felt a certain uneasiness wash over him. Something was just not right. That monster he saw was real, he was sure of it. Nobody could fake that, not even in a movie.

The teacher finally got to the classroom. He was a middle aged man, though he didn't look it, and always had an odd gleam in his eye. "Good morning class! Just think, this is the last time you have to hear anyone say 'Welcome to the first day of High School'. Because after this, you're all goin' to college. Right?"

"Right." they all replied dully. It was better than saying no, because then they knew he'd go into a rant about why they should _all_ go to college.

He assigned a 'pop quiz' to test what they'd retained over summer break, which, he figured, was everything. Renji was struggling the most, with Rukia right behind him. Nell and Ichigo were probably better off, as they tended to do most of their homework and assignments.

"Yet again, summer melts my brain." Renji commented as they handed the quizzes up.

"Yeah, I don't remember anything." Rukia added, clearly frustrated.

"It's not our fault you two never pay attention." Ichigo smirked, earning an evil glare from Rukia.

"At least we're not nerds, eh, Strawberry?"

"Shut it, Pineapple."

"Both of you shut it, and pay attention to the class." their teacher added from the front of the class.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood atop a telephone pole, staring into the class window from afar.

"That is not Rukia, and yet it is. What are the odds of them not only dieing together, but then reincarnating immediately, and somehow becoming friends in the next life. It doesn't seem possible. Hm."

He raised a flip phone to his ear speaking quietly over the line before disappearing from the telephone pole. Apparently unnoticed by the four teens.

Rinnnnnnngggggg.

Saved by the bell. They rushed out of the classroom to avoid the rest of the monologue that was in progress by the teacher, going toward the cafeteria. Chatting idly as they walked through the yard to the cafeteria building.

Unfortunately, they never made it there. The man wearing the shihakusho with his white haori was in front of them. Ichigo blinked twice, he was sure the man hadn't been there.

"You are to come with me. All of you." he spoke calmly, staring at them intently.

"Why would we do that, _Captain _Kuchiki?" It was Renji who spoke, taking a step back and moving into a defensive position.

"Because Soul Society has ordered it." he stated simply.

"No way, bud." Ichigo added, stepping in front of Rukia and Nell. "Back off."

"If you do not come willingly, I will force you." His cold eyes constricted ever so slightly. Ichigo saw, but what came next he never saw. He felt a blow on the back of his neck. But as his vision faded, he saw that the Captain was still standing there. Or at least it looked like he was. He heard two thuds as Renji and Nell fell. A smaller thud meant Rukia. He was the last to fall, he knew.

"Get them out of their bodies and take them back. Be careful of the green and orange haired ones. If they wake, we may be in trouble...go..." it fell into mumbles. Or was it Ichigo's consciousness fading? The blackness consumed him.

His eyes opened. He was staring at a white ceiling. He didn't move, closing his eyes slightly. Judging from the smell he was in a hospital or a clinic. He slowly turned his head, looking around the room. There was a white sheet on either side, blocking his left and right. Dead ahead was a window that lead to a pure blue sky.

_What the hell happened? Weren't we kidnapped?_

But if he was in a hospital, with no guard, then perhaps they'd already been rescued. He raised his body, silently lifting off the blanket and moving to stand. A voice came from the corner.

"It has been a long time since you've moved in your Shinigami form, I'd suggest you avoid overdoing it." the voice was cool and calm. Female, probably a doctor. It sounded nice. She seemed like a very polite individual. He decided that what she said didn't make sense and quickly moved the sheet back, revealing not only the source of the voice, but also Rukia who was laying in the bed beside his.

"Are you my doctor then?" he asked, staring at the woman who was sitting in a straight-backed chair. She was, as he had surmised, kind looking and very motherly. She had a long braid down her front, but what surprised him was two things.

She had a katana laying on the table beside her, and she was wearing the same outfit and white haori as the man from before. She sipped what appeared to be tea before speaking again.

"I see you recognize my outfit as the same as Captain Byakuya's. Do not worry, I will not hurt you. And you do not need to try to escape, nobody will attack you or your friends."

For some reason, Ichigo believed her. She seemed to motherly to be forcing it out in a lie. She was either telling the truth or a very good actress. He moved to Rukia's side, grasping her hand and feeling the warmth that spread from there. She was fine, her breathing was steady and her pulse felt strong.

"Unhand Rukia and I shall tell you why you are here." it wasn't the motherly doctor. It was male, and terribly familiar.

Ichigo turned and stared at the man standing in the doorway. "Kuchiki Byakuya, is it? I have all the right to hold onto Rukia. Whereas you have no right to tell me to stop." his hand didn't move and the sides of Byakuya's lips twitched downward before returning to his normal stoic expression.

"Rukia Kuchiki is my sister. I have all the right to tell you and force you to unhand her."

"She never had a brother. Even if you're her blood relative, you left her on the streets by herself. You're not her brother, Renji's her real brother." Ichigo met Byakuya's cold gaze.

Byakuya moved to sit down in the chair beside the kind doctor. "Good Morning, Captain Unohana." he said, bowing before he sat.

"Captain Kuchiki." 'Unohana inclined her head politely.

"What's with this Captain stuff? Are you guys in the military?" Ichigo questioned.

"You could say that." Unohana answered, her eyes seemed to twinkle ever so slightly.

Rukia stirred, rolling over and grasping the sheet with her free hand. She gripped Ichigo's hand tight and her breathing became more ragged. Her eyes remained closed, however, and Ichigo was sure she was having a nightmare. His grip became more firm, as he didn't want to try to wake her. It was the only thing he could do to ward away her nightmares. At the pressure, her brow unfurrowed and she calmed slightly, though her breathing was still coming quickly.

"Ichigo, as I see it, you do not know who you are. Not even your last name." Byakuya spoke calmly, his gray eyes piercing the strawberry in question.

"Yeah, I was adopted so my parents didn't have me take their name."

"You are Ichigo Kurosaki. Son of Isshin Kurosaki, a former Captain here in Soul Society."

"You mentioned that name before...Kurosaki...why does that sound familiar?" Ichigo looked thoughtful.

"Because I just told you it was your name. Fool."

"Right. So what the hell is this Soul Society place?"

"It is where you are now. I will explain. That monster you saw earlier is what is known as a Hollow. It is the ending product of when a Whole is taken over by evil. A Whole is a normal soul. I am sure you've seen them, they appear as normal humans. Unohana and I, along with everyone in the Seireitei, are Shinigami. It is our duty to regulate the number of souls between here and Soul Society. We do so by destroying Hollow and sending the Wholes to Soul Society."

"Right..." Ichigo paused, trying to remember everything that was said. "So wait, what is the Seireitei?"

"The Court of Pure Souls. It is where you are now. Shinigami live in the Seireitei, normal souls live in Rukongai past the walls." he paused, staring at the orange haired boy in front of him.

"So...why are we here, and how do you know my name?"

"We are attempting to stimulate memory recall. But I assume you have locked away your memories and reiatsu with the help of your Zanpakuto." it was Unohana who spoke, quietly.

"Reiatsu? Zanpakuto?" Ichigo looked confused.

"Spirit energy. The amount of power a shinigami has. A Zanpakuto is a Shinigami's sword. It is part of your soul, but it is a sentient being. You may need to commune with your Zanpakuto, Zangetsu, I believe." she answered calmly.

"Z..an...getsu?"

"It sounds familiar?" she inquired.

"Yeah..."

"It makes sense. If you sealed your memories _with_ your Zanpakuto, you should remember the name." she nodded.

"I see..."

"Kurosaki, you will be summoned when your friends awaken." Byakuya stood and left, bowing lightly to Unohana before he left.

"I must insist you lie down and rest, Kurosaki-san." she said politely, but with a gleam in her eye that made him jump up and quickly climb into his bed. She stood, removing a small vial with a dropper. "This will allow you to sleep calmly." she added before dropping a small green drop on his forehead. He immediately passed out, sleeping dreamlessly.

Retsu Unohana picked up her tea and her zanpakuto and left the room. The other two weren't close to waking yet.

Neliel Tu was awake, and she was strapped down onto a bed in a room with apparently no door. There was a massive window which she figured was an observation booth. She had her memories already. Her Zanpakuto had reformed, along with her mask, as soon as she had left her body. They had immediately locked her in the reiatsu suppressing room and shackled her with reiatsu suppressing handcuffs. She was as good as stuck.

She had probes on her, several of them. Above her heart, on her stomach, her temple, and two on her mask on her head. She glanced down, noticing that she was wearing a hospital clothing.

_No wonder...I was probably still wearing those rags. I wonder how many nosebleeds I gave them..._

Her thoughts were cut off as a woman appeared in the room. She had silver hair that had several long and thin pieces of hair that draped down her back. She was bringing a cup of water in.

"I see you are awake. You are Neliel Tu, correct?" the woman asked politely.

"Yeah, that's me. Why am I alive, Shinigami?" she asked calmly.

"Because we are not your enemy. I am Vice-Captain Isane Kotetsu, please drink." she added, raising the cup to Nell's lips. She drank greedily, suddenly realizing she was thirsty and hungry.

"We had to strap you down because we could not be sure you wouldn't react violently. We will remove the shackles in due time, if you prove yourself trustworthy. Please, don't struggle or show any aggression, I would hate to see you in these shackles longer than needed." the woman was very nice about it all, aside from the whole imprisonment deal.

"Thank you, Vice-Captain Kotetsu." Nell said, smiling slightly.

Isane left the room soon after, not walking out a door, but simply disappearing. She figured the walls were made to allow Shinigami to shunpo out and in.

When Ichigo woke up, he found himself staring into a pair of stunningly violet eyes. Rukia damn near squealed. "Ichigo!"

"Rukia...you're awake..." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He leaned up to see that she was sitting on the side of his bed, staring at him.

"Yeah. I woke up a while ago and Unohana told me what they told you." she said, nodding.

"I'm glad to see you're okay." he grinned.

"Oh how I wish I could leave you two lovebirds." Renji spat.

"Ah shut it, you pineap--"

Ichigo was cut off by the arrival of Byakuya, who looked as stoic as ever.

You are summoned."

It was then Ichigo realized a member of their group was missing.

_"Where the hell is Nell?!"_

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Fairly long chapter. For those who haven't been following along with my other two stories. They're all set in the same Universe. Potential is the first, followed by this story, while Outcast is last in Chronological order. But I'm not updating in order on purpose. If you want to know all the details, it's recommended you read all my stories. Reviews will have me updating the stories faster! So review please!

Blarggy


	2. Chapter 2

-1Incarnate, Chapter Two.

A Bleach Fanfiction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach, it's characters, or anything belonging to Tite Kubo.

"The Arrancar is none of your concern." Byakuya replied curtly, gesturing for them to follow before sweeping out of the room.

"What the hell do you mean, none of our concern?!" Renji moved out to the hallway connecting their room, his voice raising with each syllable.

"We're not going anywhere without her." Ichigo added, staring defiantly at the back of Byakuya, who had stopped in the hallway.

"Very well, then the meeting shall be held in her cell." with that, the Kuchiki Noble vanished. Unohana stepped in front of them and began walking down the hall.

"Come with me, we shall see your friend."

They made their way down the hallway, taking several turns during which Ichigo lost his sense of direction. She soon came upon a pure white door, gesturing towards it. Ichigo stepped forward and opened the door, revealing Nel strapped to a hospital bed, with monitors connected to her at several places.

Renji moved forward, to Nel's side, shaking her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and then flew wide open, staring at him. "R-Renji!"

He threw his arms around her hugging her tightly. He scrutinized her at arms length, looking at her mask for a moment. "What's up with the headgear, Nel?"

She looked at him for a moment, a questioning look on her face, as it is described. Rukia had walked in, standing at the edge of the bed with Ichigo's arms curled around her from behind. Unohana stepped forward, speaking.

"The others have not yet regained their memories. So they only have 18 years worth of their memory." she said quietly, looking at Nel.

"Oh, I see." she responded, looking downcast.

Several new faces suddenly joined the room. Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Byakuya, Kyouraku, Kurotsuchi, Soi Fon, Ukitake, and Hitsugaya. The Captain-Commander stepped forward, his cane clacking against the tile. The foursome turned and watched him closely.

Rukia took Ichigo's hand again, to Byakuya's chagrin.

"Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, Ichigo Kurosaki..." the General paused "And the Arrancar Neliel Tu. We are here to stimulate memory recall. The only way we can do that is with this." as he spoke, he nodded, and his Vice-Captain stepped forward from nowhere, procuring three small black orbs that he held out to the three.

They took them...wearily, staring at the pure black orbs apprehensively. "What do they do?" Rukia asked the assembled Captains.

It was Kurotsuchi that answered. "You must focus on the orb, and try to push your energy into it. God knows you're incompetent now, but I'm sure you can at _least_ accomplish this."

Ichigo scowled. "What. Does. It. Do?"

"It will send you to your inner world and allow you to talk with your Zanpakuto, Mr. Kurosaki." Unohana answered before Kurotsuchi could snap at them.

"So say I believe this Zanpakuto bull, and all this other crap you're feeding me. What the hell makes you think I want my memories back? I rather like my life the way it is." Ichigo said, staring at the group with his usual angry expression.

"You have no choice, Ichigo. Soul Society needs you." Hitsugaya added, in a not-authoritative tone, for once.

"Fine, we'll try this crap. But one condition," he said, holding up his index finger. "Nel stays with us here no matter what. I know her, she won't attack anyone." he finished, firmly.

"Kurosaki, you have an accord." Yamamoto said, his gaze flickering to the Arrancar. "Release her, if she moves to attack, kill her."

Unohana and Kotetsu moved forward and released the cuffs and bindings, and Nel sat up, rubbing her wrists.

"Now, the lot of yeh. Sit down and try to use the orbs." Kurotsuchi instructed waspishly. It was quite obvious he did not like the ex-Ryoka, and was likewise anxious to 'examine' Nel. Not that it was allowed.

Ichigo sighed, sitting down and leaning against the bed. He stared at the orb for a second before speaking. "Ya know, nothing's gonna happen."

"Shutup and at least try Ichigo." Rukia snapped, staring at her own orb.

Renji was likewise concentrating, defeated, Ichigo sighed and continued staring at the orb, his mind wandering.

_Why do they honestly expect this to work? _

_And what the hell is all this talk about souls and Zanpakuto?  
_

_You there, Mr. Zangetsu?_

**Why yes, Ichigo. I'm glad you asked.**

"Buah!" Ichigo yelled outloud, staring at the orb. That was NOT his voice in his head.

"Shutup, stupid." He received a punch to arm courtesy of Rukia.

**It has been a long time, Ichigo, let us have our reunion.**

The world dissolved around him, and he suddenly found himself in an extremely familiar world. His inner world. Just as he _remembered_ it.

Zangetsu stood atop the flagpole, staring at him behind his visor. "Hello, Ichigo."

"Hey, Old man."

"It has been many a year since you arrived here. And in that time, I have weakened. This is your Zanpakuto as it is now." he raised one arm, drawing from midair the hilt of a sword. He tossed it forward, and Ichigo caught the hilt deftly in his hand.

"It's sealed? This is from when Urahara cut it."

"Yes, Ichigo. And now, you must go back. Break the seal, Ichigo, and you can take your memories back with you." Zangetsu said, suddenly tense. "There is not much time."

"I know, Old man." Ichigo took the hilt and brought it back, holding it for a second before speaking.

"_**Slice through the Heavens, Zangetsu!**_"

As the blade glowed brilliant blue, he was suddenly transported back to the hospital room, Zangetsu literally exploding into his hand, the massive cleaver swung around and found itself securely on Ichigo's back.

"Took you long enough, Ichigo." Renji said, smirking. He was sitting on a chair, the only Captain still there was Hitsugaya who was conversing with Rukia. They both walked over to him, greeting him.

"You've been out for a few hours, Ichigo." Rukia said, moving forward to hug him. "It's good to have you back. Or at least, all of you." she added with a small smile. Nel entered the room a few moments later, promptly diving on Ichigo and smothering him with a hug.

The room, including Hitsugaya, burst out laughing. She was wearing an outfit very similar to an Arrancar suit, mainly for her pride. They wanted to give her a shihakusho.

Ichigo was soon back on his feet, asking Renji and Rukia how they got their zanpakuto back. He remembered something, as they spoke.

"I think I can seal my blade." he said suddenly, earning a deadpan from Rukia and Renji.

"If he accomplished that, I'll walk around with Zabimaru released for a month."

"I agree." Rukia added. 

"Oh, I don't know. I think he can." Nel said, smiling. "How about 1000 yen, and the Zabimaru thing?"

"Deal!" Rukia and Renji said simultaneously.

Ichigo drew the cleaver, staring at it intently for a moment. His reiatsu compressed, and the blade glowed blue before shrinking to a red-wrapped hilt.

Nel squealed, "Payyyy up!" while Renji grumbled and released Zabimaru.

Ichigo tucked the hilt back into the obi on his outfit just as the Captains returned. Ukitake came first, frowning at Ichigo, "Where is your cleaver?"

"Right here, Captain Ukitake." he said, drawing out the hilt for examination before stowing it back.

Commander Yamamoto, Kyouraku, Soi Fon, and Kurotsuchi were next.

"Well done, Ichigo Kurosaki. You took, by far, the longest. As expected of the one with the most reiatsu." Yamamoto praised. "We will take the meeting to the Captain's meeting room. Please, come with us. He stepped off smartly, flanked by the Captains. As soon as the group exited the Fourth Division, the entire group Flash Stepped away.

After a few moments, the Captains were assembled in their meeting hall. Yamamoto was at the head, and Ichigo and the others were opposite him, at the end of the line of Captains. Yamamoto was speaking, something about valor and the like, but Ichigo was not listening. He was glancing from Byakuya to Rukia.

Byakuya seemed annoyed, it was an irrelevant emotion, or so he said, but Ichigo could see it in his eyes. The cause? Probably Rukia's closeness to Ichigo, of course. Even though she seemed more shy since she regained her memories(Ichigo felt a bit awkward as well, even though he remembered the 17 years they'd spent together.) she was still standing awfully close to him.

Not that he minded.

Finally his attention turned to Yamamoto, who had paused for a second.

"This is why, Kurosaki Ichigo, that I want you to take the place of Aizen as Captain of the Fifth Division." he said, his voice echoing dimly in the hall.

He felt 16 pairs of eyes on him, most staring in a rather shocked state. The Captains had not been informed why they were looking for Ichigo, nevermind the others in his group.

"Unfortunately, when you fought and defeated Aizen 19 years ago, there was not Two Hundred Fifth Division members observing. You have achieved Bankai in less than three days. So you are qualified. Do you have an objection?" Yamamoto's steely gaze never strayed from Ichigo.

"I'm not fit to be a Captain...sir." he added the last part after a second. "I don't have the proper leadership skills nor do I even reside in Soul Society."

"That can be remedied. As for the leadership skills, I believe you led an attack force on Hueco Mundo. That alone proves your skill."

Zaraki was grinning, staring at Ichigo with that 'evildeathkillingmurdereyes' look.

"Captains in favor?" Yamamoto declared.

Kyouraku and Ukitake's hands raised, as did Zaraki's, almost instantly. Hisagi Shuuhei, who had been made an official Captain when he attained Bankai, followed soon after. Byakuya's hand raised slowly, his face impassive as usual. Hitsugaya was watching Ichigo with a skeptical look, but when he saw Ichigo looking rather determined at the Captain-Commander, his hand raised as well.

Kurotsuchi spoke "I will refrain from voting until I have seen the applicant in battle. I believe Captains Soi Fon and Komamura agree."

Unohana's hand raised, making it eight.

"Very well, Captain Zaraki, you will fight Kurosaki, at Soukyoku hill. The Captains will meet there in a half hour." the General finished, stepping away from the meeting room and into the door behind him.

The Captains filed out, their Vice-Captains joining them when they got outside. Only Unohana and Ukitake stopped by Ichigo, smiling. "You will be approved, I am sure." Unohana said gently, while Ukitake said in a rather determined tone. "You'll be a fine Captain, Ichigo."

Zaraki stood in front of Ichigo, Yachiru perched on his shoulder. "This, Ichigo, will be fun." he said simply before heading off, undoubtedly for the Soukyoku hill. Ichigo turned to Rukia, a very odd look on his face. Was it...apprehension? Ichigo was nervous? Impossible!

"Are you okay, Ichigo?" she spoke quietly, peering up at him.

"Yeah. I'm fine." he responded.

"Ya' don't look it, Strawberry." Renji added, leaning against the wall with Nel.

"Worried about the fight, Ichigo? It was Zaraki who saved you in Hueco Mundo the first time." Nel said, frowning.

"No. I'll beat him. Which is why I'm worried. I don't think I'll make a good Captain. I can't lead hundreds of Shinigami!" his voice rose as he spoke.

Rukia took his hand in hers, pulling him to the door, where the whole of the Seireitei stood at their feet. "There are hundreds of Shinigami there, in what will be your division." she said, pointing towards the fifth. "If you can handle Renji and I, you can handle the Fifth."

Ichigo was staring at the Fifth Division, from their vantage point he could see tiny ant-like shinigami in the training yard, probably practicing hard with their Vice-Captain.

Ichigo felt a warmth spread through him. "I'll do it, then."

"You don't have a choice, Strawberry. Now let's get to the hill." Renji said, Flash Stepping away. Nel and Rukia followed, and, with a smile, the strawberry stepped off.

The Captains were already assembled, deciding they didn't want to miss any fight. Yamamoto was the last to join them, simply appearing by Soifon's side with an impassive look on his face. Zaraki stepped forward, drawing his blade out and laying it on his shoulder. Ichigo pulled the hilt from his obi, holding it tightly as he glared at Zaraki.

"You may begin when ready." Yamamoto's voice floated over the soon-to-be battlefield.

Zaraki dove forward with his sword stretched behind him, he swung the blade down toward Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo raised the hilt, blocking the attack with the inch of hilt above his hand. The impact pushed his feet down into the ground, breaking the rocks and creating a rather large dust cloud.

Zaraki pushed down on the blade, spinning it sideways in order to slide it into Ichigo's grip and cut his hand. Ichigo responded by deftly changing the direction of the hilt to point diagonally, so the serrated blade simply slid off. Ichigo took several steps backwards as Zaraki growled.

"Release your sword already! Ain't no fun fighting a hilt."

Ichigo flashed a grin, raising the hilt to the sky. "Cut through the Heavens, **Zangetsu**!"

The blade came crashing down, a blue crescent of compressed reiatsu flew towards Zaraki. He raised his blade and parried the energy sideways, his smile broadening. "NOW we can fight!"

With that sentiment, he dove forward again. Ichigo's cleaver met Zaraki's blade, stopping it an inch before it cut through his throat. Ichigo smiled, deadlocking Zaraki's strength. "Getsuga Tenshou."

The pair exploded in a bluewhite ball of reiatsu. They were soon jettisoned from the dust cloud, Zaraki with a gash along his right shoulder, Ichigo with a cut on his chest. Both were smiling still.

"I know ya' got Bankai, Ichigo. Why not use it?!" Zaraki yelled, ripping his eyepatch off. The yellow reiatsu spiraled around him, and he was off. He disappeared for a split second before reappearing above Ichigo, his sword coming down hard toward the Strawberry's shoulder. Ichigo's head tilted up, his body perfectly still. A pair of yellow and black eyes were staring into Zaraki's.

"Bankai."

Zaraki felt the reiatsu threaten to sling him away, but with an application of his own, his sword continued on it's path.

Tiiiiiinnnnngggg.

Ichigo's forefinger was extended, pointing towards the blade. In fact, it was touching the blade, or better describing, he had blocked the attack with the tip of his finger. A hollow mask was forming from black reiatsu onto his face, and the yellow and black eyes never left Zaraki.

"_**Tensa Zangetsu.**__**"**_

As he spoke, he swung the black blade sideways, aiming for Zaraki's midsection.

"Captain Soi Fon, intervene."

"Sting all Enemies to Death, Suzumebachi."

The diminutive Captain flash stepped into the battle, blocking the black blade with the tiny blade of Suzumebachi. Her body was crushed between the sword and Zaraki, but she had stopped it from sliding through Zaraki's body.

Zaraki, meanwhile, was grinning. His reiatsu leapt up another level, a drip of blood fell from Ichigo's finger.

Ichigo applied pressure from his finger, then to the blade, propelling both Soi Fon and Zaraki sideways. A red ball of energy was forming on Ichigo's finger as he watched them.

The Captain-Commander spoke, with urgency. "Captain Kuchiki, intervene."

The stoic Captain flash stepped in front of the still flung Captains. "Bankai." he dropped the blade, and the massive blades appeared behind him as he spoke "**Senbonzakura Kageyoshi**."

The blades split apart into their hundreds of millions of tiny blades, diving in front of Byakuya and the two vulnerable Captains.

"Cero!" the red ball erupted from Ichigo's finger, forming a large cone-like shape before slamming into Senbonzakura's petals. The petals came whipping around, attacking Ichigo in earnest. Soi Fon was darting in and out, having recovered gracefully. She was trying to get a mark on Ichigo, but no matter how many times she seemed to attack in time with the petals, he still blocked.

Zaraki was simply lunging forward, keeping Ichigo on his toes, and keeping him on the defensive. Ichigo kept backing up, evading and blocking everything that was thrown at him. Until-

"Captain Kyouraku, join them." The Commander said, watching as the lazy Kyouraku stood and drew his dual blades.

Soon enough Ichigo had four swords and a billion petals attacking him. Kyouraku's attacks were swift, his swords seemingly acting of their own free will and striking from hard-to-block places. Soi Fon's attacks were very fast, but not very strong. Zaraki was swinging with all his might, and the petals were dancing around trying to find an angle before they swept in.

Ichigo was finally sick of being on the defensive.

"_**Ginkai!**_"

His reiatsu leapt to levels generally unheard of. The force of it pushed away the four Captains, and created a cloud of dust some fifty meters high. When it was forced away, Ichigo was holding a pure white blade with a white bandage coming from the end of the hilt. His right side was covered with hollow bone, including half of his face. His entire sword arm was that of a hollow. The bone stretched down his neck, over his shoulder, and down the length of his arm, encasing it in the super strong material. A yellow and black eye along with a normal amber eye peered at the four Captains.

He seemed to vanish from thin air, several copies of him reappearing behind each Captain before they could react. They felt the touch of cold steel to their throats and realized that he defeated them all without even trying. Ichigo faded back to his position, now facing the Commander.

"That's four of your Captains, incapacitated." he said, his voice ringing calmly.

"I am aware, Kurosaki. But do not get overconfident. While they are Captains, they are by no means the strongest." The Commander's reiatsu spiked, flowing his robes.

"Kurosaki Ichigo has defeated Four Captains in the presence of the remaining Captains, I assume this will be enough for you?"

Komamura and Soi Fon nodded quickly, as Soi Fon rejoined the line of Captains.

Kurotsuchi was smiling, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Oooooooh I would love to experiment on this one!" he said, shaking with 'diabolical' laughter.

"Very well, let him become a Captain." he finished, eyes never leaving the hollow half of Ichigo's upper body.

Said hollow half disintegrated as his sword changed form. It changed to the black blade, then to the meat cleaver, and finally to the red hilt, which he stowed in his obi belt. He stepped over to Rukia, smiling. She pulled him into a hug while Renji clapped him on the back.

"Abarai Renji." the Captain Commander called.

Renji froze, turning towards him.

"You have been unanimously approved for Captaincy of the Third Division."

The four deadpanned, staring at the Commander. "What, seriously?" Renji asked, staring at the old man.

"Indeed. All the Captains have witnessed your skill in battle. Not only did you fight on Captain level, but you helped in both assaults on Hueco Mundo."

Renji grinned sheepishly. "Well, I guess I accept graciously, then. Thank you."

"Vice Captain Hinamori has resigned from her position, taking the third seat in the third division. The third seat of the Fifth division, likewise, has resigned. Kurosaki, or rather, Captain Kurosaki, you must pick a new Vice-Captain and Third Seat." The Commander announced solemly, peering at him. "Personel files will be sent to you of all applicants."

"No need, I've already decided. That is, if they will consent." He turned his eyes to Rukia and Nel. "I would like Rukia to become my Vice-Captain and Nel my Third Seat."

The Captains outcry, was, as expected, loud and obnoxious. "We can't have a hollow as a third seat!" "Impossible!" "Rukia is not capable!" (Kuchiki Byakuya was frowning, oh noes, emotion!)

"Rukia, as you well know, has achieved Bankai, she is more than capable. And as for the Hollow thing, Nel is half and half, and in case you forgot, I'm half and half as well. I don't see the problem." Ichigo said seriously, staring at the assembled Captains.

The Captain Commander sighed, his eyes returning to Ichigo. "Very well."

Rukia had latched onto Ichigo's hand while Nel smothered him in a death hug, squealing her thanks.

"This is gonna be hell, you know that, Strawberry?" Rukia inquired with a smile at her 'niisama's' very disapproving look, which was centered on Rukia and Ichigo's intertwined fingers.

Ichigo, who was released by Nel, smiled at her "I know, midget."

It seems most of the backstory concerning Soul Society is occuring here. Fufilling the section in my story 'Outcast' where Hamano mentions Squad Five being incredibly hard to get into.

Read and Review, or else I'll be sad!

Blarggy


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